I had long heard that Chagas disease from the bite of an "Assassin Bug" is what Charles Darwin died from. But I had also been told when we were doing the bug collection project in biology in high school that "Assassin Bugs" were beneficial predatory insects (along with Praying Mantises and Dragonflies) and were told if we killed one to include in the collection it wouldn't count towards the grade. The explanation is that while the same common name is applied to both insects, they are different species. Also somewhat related and similar looking bugs are the Squash Bug (which damage/kill my squash plants) and the western conifer seed bug (which reportedly sometime will drill holes in PEX plumbing pipes) Also in reading more about Kissing Bugs, it says they transmit Chagas Disease by first biting (often near a persons mouth) and then pooping on or near the site of the bite. Ewwwww. It also stated that the particular species of Kissing Bugs that are spreading north across America are somewhat less dangerous because they typically don't poop on you after biting, (again ewww) and because its much less likely that they would have previously bitten a person or animal that carries the Chagas disease parasite, at least in locations where the bugs are newly moving into. So while it isn't a dire imminent danger, it is a new danger that I wasn't aware of, and if they are in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, surely they are in Virginia too, and even if one isn't carrying Chagas Disease, its bite often causes a serious reaction (as Dawn described above) and can even cause anaphylactic shock. Edited to add: Plus since, as of yet, there is no vaccine against nor effective treatment for Chagas Disease, it is kind of a big concern.

Am I imagining things or are those nuns a bit naughty?

My plate of stuffed baby bell peppers

Katlan, thanks for that explanation. This is the 3rd Mairead I have heard of in just a few years. It seems so different. Very beautiful and I love how you honored your mom.